Post office · Madras Presidency
BellaryPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Bellary postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 13 Bellary handstamps recorded between 1806 and 1858, Madras Presidency, with 39 Bellary covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 13
- Recorded
- 1806–1858
- Rare
- 3
Ballary (later spelled Bellary) the seventh largest town in the Madras Presidency, became a large military station, but contained little but a fort, until the British built a cantonment. The fort was in possession of Mysore until 1792, when, with other territories of Tipu, it was given to the Nizam, who ceded it to the British in 1800. It is situated 15°9' N and 76°51' E .
Bellary has 13 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1806–1858 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Manuscript markings
1 markBefore handstamps were introduced, postmasters wrote postal details by hand — these manuscript markings pre-date the struck marks above.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Bellary handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
| Mark | Type | Colour | Dates | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HG 1 | Handstamp | Black | 1806–1821 | Very scarce |
| HG 2 | Handstamp | Black | 1813 | 1 example recorded |
| HG 3 | Handstamp | Black | 1826–1832 | Scarce |
| HG 4 | Handstamp | Red | 1828–1837 | Common |
| HG 5 | Handstamp | Black | 1836 | Common |
| HG 6 | Handstamp | Red | 1837–1839 | Common |
| HG 7 | Handstamp | Black | 1840–1856 | Common |
| HG 8 | Handstamp | Red | 1849 | Common |
| HG 9 | Handstamp | Red | 1841–1856 | Common |
| HG 10 | Handstamp | Black | 1842–1858 | Common |
| HG 10a | Handstamp | Black | — | — |
| HG 11 | Handstamp | Red | 1838–1849 | Common |
| MN 1 | Manuscript | — | 1832 | Rare |
Bellary— postal history & markings
Bellary's hand-struck record is one of the longest in the Madras Presidency, running from 1806 to 1858 across thirteen recorded markings. It begins with HG 1, a very scarce black handstamp used to about 1817 and known from five covers, and the still rarer HG 2 of 1813, recorded from a single strike. Through the 1820s and 1830s the office alternated between black and red ink — HG 3 in black, HG 4 and HG 6 in red — before settling into a group of common later handstamps, among them HG 9, a red mark of the 1840s and 1850s surviving on seven covers.
Beyond the struck marks, a manuscript endorsement of 1832, MN 1, records a letter rated 'Post Paid 11 Annas to Madras' — a rare survival that fixes a specific rate to a specific route. Together the marks span more than half a century of the cantonment's postal use.
Frequently asked — Bellary postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Bellary?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Bellary are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Bellary post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Bellary was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 13 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1806 and 1858.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Bellary?
- 13 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Bellary in this census, of which 3 are graded rare or better. Each mark carries its Hammond Giles catalogue figure number, colour, date range, evidence-based rarity grade, and links to every surviving cover recorded with it.
- What is Bellary called today?
- Bellary is the colonial-era name of present-day Ballari, India. Covers and postmarks are catalogued here under the historical name used on the marks themselves.
- How do I identify a Bellary postmark or cover?
- Compare your cover against the reference impressions on this page — each figure shows the mark's design, ink colour and recorded date range. If your Bellary cover bears a mark that matches a figure, open that figure's page to see every recorded example with provenance. If it matches none, it may be unrecorded: submit photographs through the form on this page and the editors will review it for inclusion in the census.
For background on the material itself, see the guides to the handstruck stamps of India, the pre covers of India and the pre stamp covers of India, which explain how marks like those recorded at Bellary were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Bellary, Ballari, Bellary HG 1, Bellary handstruck stamps, Bellary pre stamp covers, Bellary postal history.
How to cite
“Bellary, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/bellary (accessed 25 September 2026).
Updated: 25 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Bellary?
If you hold a cover or strike from Bellary that does not match any figure above, submit it below. Approved additions appear here as new entries in the census — every submission is reviewed first.
Same presidency
Other post offices in the Madras Presidency
Explore the pre-1854 postal history of other Madras Presidency post offices — each page lists its recorded handstruck markings, dates and surviving covers.